Man avoids life term with plea in rape case

A convicted sex offender accused of joining two other men in raping a teenage girl pleaded guilty Wednesday.

Shawn Love, 39, avoided a possible life sentence without parole with his plea in Richmond County Superior Court.

In exchange for Mr. Love's cooperating in the prosecution of his co-defendants -- Yutavis M. Cavitt, 26, and Tyrone Bonds, 20 -- the prosecutor agreed to reduce the charges to child molestation.

Chief Judge J. Carlisle Overstreet accepted the plea deal and sentenced Mr. Love to 20 years in prison. He told Mr. Love he would reconsider the sentence after the co-defendants' cases are closed.

The prosecutor said the three men raped and sodomized a 15-year-old girl April 28. Mr. Love's DNA was found on the victim, and he infected her with a sexually transmitted disease, Assistant District Attorney Philip Catalano said.

As Mr. Catalano told the judge the facts of the case, the victim suffered a violent seizure in the courtroom. She recovered and was able to see Mr. Love sentenced.

The seizures began after the sexual assault, Mr. Catalano told the judge.

Because of Mr. Love's prior felony convictions -- including rape -- he faced a mandatory life sentence without parole if convicted of the most serious charge, aggravated child molestation.

Defense attorney Barry Middleton of the public defender's office said Mr. Love denies there were any threats or violence involved.

He reserved further remarks on Mr. Love's behalf until a reconsideration hearing with Judge Overstreet.

Mr. Cavitt and Mr. Bonds have pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated child molestation and child molestation. Their cases are pending.

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This is a case for the state ninja assassination squad. After the other two pieces of poop are sentenced, the squad should move in and slay all three in a manner that will allow parts to be salvaged for medical transplant.

Judge Overstreet, for even mentioning that you would reconsider this sentance, you need to re-think being a judge. Unfortunately, sometimes prosecuters must accept a plea deal and this appears to be one of those cases in order to get convictions on the other 2 thugs. While understandable to an extent, the judge still has the liberty to issue the highest punishment possible for the reduced charge. It seems as if Overstreet gave a decent punishment although 20 years will probalby turn into less than 1/2. However, no matter what the other two get, he deserves the full 20. He got his break already for simply being honest about gang raping a teenage girl. These deplorable violent thugs don't ever deserve to walk our streets again.

Now this is one that shouldn't be allowed back in the public eye. He should be done just as he did to that girl. There are instances where a convict as himself shouldn't be given a deal for cooperation, I'm sure they could have gotten names out of him in other ways. He'll be out there again.

Now I do not just ask you Judge Overstreet to step down but I would urge all to petition him to step down...It is incompetent Judges such as this one that has a practice of allowing criminals loose again on society one day after they have hones their skills behind bars...Maybe you should be made to live with these individuals in a secluded spot for the rest of yours as well as their natural lives...You are a prime example of what it means to be entirely without conscience...

Judge Overstreet CAN be replaced when his name comes up for re-election if the public can wait that long. A case like this should NEVER, I repeat NEVER, be dealt with in a plea bargain. Our justice system cries out for justice and this certainly did not happen in this case. Put the case to a jury and let THEM decide and then let the judge sentence accordingly. Let the TIME fit the crime; in this case that can't happen because the victim has been sentenced to a life time of seizure disorder while this man goes on about life, living freely on taxpayers' money. More and more our system of justice is being dismantled by judges who cave in to attorneys who try everything in the world to get their clients freed from terrible and punishable charges. Are there no judges anywhere any more that will stand for truth, justice and the American way? In times past this person would have been executed for such a crime but now our softness on criminal matters subjects the public to his return after a prison stay. Perhaps he will suffer the same event while he's in prison. It's time for the public to stand up and demand justice, not a slap on the wrist. Shame on this judge.

No plea deal should have ever been offered or accepted for this individual. Not only did he participate in a gang rape on a child, he left her with an STD, and with what sounds like trauma-induced seizures. AND he has preivous felony convictions?! There is no way that the 20-yr. sentence should be reduced, for any reason. The only blessing is that does appear to be "honor among thieves" in prison and, when the other inmates find out that he assaulted a child as well as that he rolled over on his friends, he may find that prison is an even more horrific experience than he imagines.

Is Overstreet the only judge in Richmond County? Because he seems to be the only one "working" in town. He should be ashamed of himself for accepting the plea and the prosecutors should be ashamed of themselves for offering it. A piece of crap like Love should rot in prison forever....not get a slap on the wrist.

If he had a prior offense of rape why isnt he being sentenced to the full extent. You rape once and get off is horrible. The first victim has to live with that and now he has done it again and we reduce it to molestation. He gave that girl a disease. That is rape. Molestation involves simply touching. Poor judgement judge.

Who else DNA was on the victim, because Love may be lying and wrongfully convicting these other guys. If only his DNA was captured, why have the defense not protested? My fear is that, Love is guilty, but lying to the DA to gain an advantage at sentencing, while innocent men swing.

Just a thought: Judge Overstreet may reconsider the sentence after the other two are tried; maybe he'll consider the weight of Love's testimony to be irrellevant (allowing for what ever other evidence they already have on the other two) and impose the max. Everyone here seems to think Overstreet will go down on the sentence when he can just as easily go up. This sentence isn't written in stone, neither is the plea. Of course, if Overstreet rejects the plea, & imposses a stiffer sentence, that's grounds for appeal. At which time Love's goose is cooked with the mountain of evidence they already have.

The defendant can withdraw his guilty plea if Overstreet decides to reject the plea and tries to impose a stricter sentence. It's done and can only go down from the 20. We don't know ALL the circumstances of the case and a 20 year sentence might a good offer. The DA might need his testimony to convict the other two. They have him through DNA, but the case against the other two might be weak without him. Additionally, he will probably max out since he has previous violent felonies, therefore forcing him to serve the full 20.

Very well said realitycheck. This is Law 101, and everyone has seemed to have missed it! THE DEAL had to be brought to and approved by A. Wright herself by ADA Catalano. The DA's office should have been the one to say "NO DEAL"- The anger here is misplaced. If this deal is accepted and a reduced sentence is given, don’t Blame Mr. Overstreet!

I don't know if you people are too smart for your own good or what. We all know the papers print what they get and of course they never get the whole story. Here my father (Love) looks like I rapist but he is a loving and caring man, a good father to his 8 daughters and 2 sons, a good uncle to his 2 nieces and 1 nephew. Not never once has my father harmed any of us in any way. I've known him for 23 yrs. and I've seen, met, and spoken to every women he has been with and thanks to them I can't look at this from a bias point of view like the rest of you. What I've learned through years of meeting his women, and remember my associates and friends from 6th grade through high school is that women are all different shapes, sizes, and always have a motive and when things don't go their way they retaliate and the most evil ways the worst part is they get to sit back and laugh about it while men have to bury their heads and pay for it. When I was 12 I watched my 11 yr. old cousin tell men she was 14 and wanted me to say I was 16 just so she can date older men lucky for the men she slept with she wasn't like this young lady. My father was a victim of deceit.

This young lady said she was kicked out her home and her fathered abused her sexually. To me this makes her a repeat offender full of lies. A cry for attention from some where, a way back into her home. I would have felt bad for her if I didn't know the whole story but unfortunately I do. It sickened me to sit there in the court building and watch her laugh and play like it was a big joke all the way up until it was time to put on for the judge. I was in tears on my cell and she laughed in a deceitful manner. I could read through that girl from miles away. Since you'll don't know there was a fourth guy who she begged to sleep with her and her response to that was "but he didn't like me I don't know why he didn't like me" had he not went ahead to work and slept with her he would've been fighting for his freedom too. She wasn't manipulated or forced she met Yutavis at the mall and went with him knowingly and willingly the only reason she said she was raped was because after she slept with all of them Yutavis began to disrespect her calling her out her name ... of course this made her angry. She said she was raped then admitted it was consensual.

I don't know how children can be tried as adults when they commit murders but society can't see that this is a new day and age and children are no longer innocent probably never really have been. They learn so much at such young ages from TV, school, friends and family. Sorry to tell you'll the TRUTH but todays children know exactly what they are doing. They know how to manipulate and get what they want, they know hate, love, revenge, yes, and no. Thanks to the world of dumb people I've lost my BFF (Love). I'm his strongest and first born child and until my father is released I will hold this family together, I will remember everything he has taught me about respect, love, family most of how to remain a respectful young lady. As for you men out there I would advise everyone of you before sleeping with a woman please ask her to show you some Identification and take a pic on your cam phone if you have one. Before you be the next victim.

Just so you'll know his first rape charge was with an adult who was obsessed with him and had accused multiple men of rape he wasn't her first and probably not her last. Had he took that to trial 9 out of 10 he would have beaten it.